Orchestration
The art of assigning musical material to specific instruments within an orchestra to create desired timbres
Category
composition
Pronunciation
OR-keh-STRAY-shun
Origin
English
Length
79 words · 1 min read
About Orchestration
Orchestration transforms abstract musical ideas into vivid sonic colours. A melody given to an oboe sounds entirely different on a French horn or violin.
More composition terms
Composition
View all compositionterms →The art and craft of creating original music by organising sounds, rhythms, and harmonies into a structured work.
TransposeTo shift an entire piece or passage to a different key while keeping all intervals between notes the same
CanonA contrapuntal composition in which a melody is imitated exactly by one or more voices entering in succession.
PolyphonyA musical texture featuring two or more independent melodic lines sounding simultaneously.
CounterpointThe art of combining two or more independent melodic lines simultaneously.
v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →